Fraternitas Saturni

THE LODGE-ORNATE

BY MSTR .·.AMENOPHIS.·.

Even in the oldest antiquity people clothed themselves in festive dresses when they attended celebrations of a personal, family or religious kind. There are enough references of this in the Old and as well in the New Testament. You find also information about this in books covering the cultural history of epochs that are closer to our times like the history of Egypt, Greece and the Romans.

This custom is surely a sign of a healthy sense for culture, and the people expressed this way that they wanted to put aside every day life with all it’s worries and therefore take off the every day clothing and replace them with festive clothing, which according to the meaning and purpose of the celebration, unfold solemnity, dignity or light hearted joyfulness.

One can well claim that this custom never really completely disappeared from the cultural life of humanity even if there were times of shorter or longer durations in which this practice was regarded as superfluous and was put aside.

Also today, we live in such an interregnum, if we can say so, in which festive clothing is hardly appreciated. While even during the times of the Kaiser, the church-goers put on his Sunday-suit or Sunday-dress and the men put on a top-hat to emphasize this way the seriousness of a religious service. The theatre-goers were also dressing themselves in society suits and the ladies put on their evening-gowns to give the enjoyment of art a festive note. But today one can see people running to
all kinds of celebrations in street clothing or sport dresses. By doing this they document that culture has become a foreign term for them, because modern "civilisation" has beaten culture to death since a long time.

One could say here, that the economic difficulties after the two world wars could be the cause of it, but this is only partially the reason. But in the constant up and down in the existence of humanity meagre years are followed by fat years and this would not be a convincing reason not to return to the unwritten laws of culture.

A poet says in one of his aphorisms brilliantly: Muse! What changes outside, changes also inside"

An exception to this modern development has so far been always the clerical profession, as well as the members of orders, lodges or brotherhoods.

It would make no sense, and it would strip a religious ceremony of any solemnity if the priests wouldn’t use their robes in their divine services. The religious orders would sink down to the level of an ordinary club if they would abandon their uniform order-ornate. The same goes for lodges and brotherhoods. While priests and religious order members are basically obliged to keep their sacral robes, lodges and brotherhood have in this regard certain freedoms.

So, therefore these days one can see that the members of a masonic lodge don’t wear black tuxedos and the obligatory top hat when they go to their lodge meetings but they concede to the dignity of a lodge evening with a dark suit. This concession to casualness of modern clothing stops at the door of the temple. Because the sacral clothing of the masonic lodges consists of the masonic apron and the white gloves, without which no member may participate in the ritual part of a lodge celebration.

The FRATERNITAS SATURNI is also a lodge, and the lodge celebration is equal to a church service. The festive clothing or the ritual vestment is the lodge robe made of black silk. Without this robe no member may participate in the lodge service.

As far an outer court lodge is concerned or if it only concerns neophytes, a participation without ornate may be acceptable. But after attaining the Gradus Mercurii, and of course when holding even higher grades, the lodge ornate is indispensable.

Every Magus who studies and practises practical magic, knows because of his training that he needs a silken robe absolutely. Silk is considered the absolute incarnation against influences of astral beings which have been attracted by magical practices. Besides this, the robe also protects the chakras of the Magus, so that their activity is not disturbed from the outside. This is why the Magus also wears a magic hat or the robe has a corresponding cowl with which the head can be covered.
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Since a ritual and magical guided lodge in their ritual is built on invocation rites, the lodge ornate fulfills the same purpose as with the Magus.

The strong magical influx, which is deeply anchored in the magical brother-chain, contains through the corresponding silk clothing of the brothers the absolute necessary basis. Naturally this is also supported by wearing of the corresponding symbols. Every human disturbing factor, which had been carried into the lodge, bounces off the lodge-influxus and renders all fluidal or attempted mediumistic influences ineffective. Since, besides this, Saturn by itself, holds the strongest magic, the Brotherhood of Saturn is unchallengeable in the truest sense of the word.

We already mentioned before the intention and purpose of solemn clothing. Since the FRATERNITAS SATURNI is a magical and ritual lodge, i.e. a magical ritual is being celebrated, a apron and gloves, like the free masons wear it, can not be enough, but the whole body must, because of the chakras of the etheric body, be protected an shielded against all influences from all levels And this can only be achieved with a mantel that enwraps the whole body. The feet and head chakras remain uncover
ed to give room for the terristic and cosmic irradiations. And here the only protective colour is black and silk is the proper fabric for this. The white colour does attract the"good" cosmic power-centres. But there can be also too much "good" for the bodily constitution of the body of a human being. Therefore it is more correct and better to shield oneself with a neutral colour and only in certain cases one can throw over the black robe a cloak of another colour to connect intimately with a special power centre which is desired in a particular magical operation.

The Sisters and Brothers of the Outer Court wear only the black lodge mantel with a green cord around the waist (should be wound around body three times), without any emblems. The holders of the Mercury grade wear over the right breast the Mercury symbol. All high degrees wear a yellow silk zingulum (a zingulum is a broad band worn around the waist).

Finally I will give you a very important autosuggestion or putting on your ornate.

While putting on the mantel talk into you: "I put on this mantel with saturnian realisation - OM"

While putting on the cord talk into you: "I engirdle myself with the divine will: Thelema! – OM"